Day of Reckoning
by laughingmagician
Summary: This is my sequel to my fic "Heritage" In this fic you get to meet Zan's promised wife, and Zan gets to meet his parents for the first time...
1. Default Chapter

Day Of Reckoning

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Roswell or anything affiliated to it. This is a fan fiction story meant only for the enjoyment of myself and other Roswell fans.

**Title**: Day Of Reckoning

**Genre**: Science Fiction, Romance, Fantasy

**Setting**: This story is set directly after my Roswell fan fiction titled "Heritage" (also posted on this site).

**Rating: **PG,

**Written By: **Jennifer S. a.k.a. _AssissinElektra_

**Chapter 1**

I still miss her. In fact, there are days where I expect for her to run up to me and tell me that none of it really happened at all, that she was just Emily, my sister who I loved. But, nothing ever happens as you think it should. I learned that even before I discovered who my parents were.

Knowing about them changed everything in my life. I no longer looked up at the sky with a longing to know if ours was the only planet inhabited. I knew that it was not, and that it was not even my planet at all. I now gazed at the stars for hours, wondering which one belonged to my home world where my father lived. Knowing changes everything.

Knowing that I loved Sarah more than I had ever loved anyone or anything before made my life better. We were happy for a long time together, forgetting almost about the woman who I was promised to on my home world.

Sarah and I were in complete bliss while together, and nothing seemed as if it could possibly go wrong. But, like I said, nothing ever happens as you think it should. And our past caught up with us both.

There are two ways to tell if Zan is lying. Number one, his eyes twitch while he speaks the lie to you. Number two, he gets really nervous and bunches his hands into fists. Now, I love him to death, but I hate it when he lies to me. So when I asked him where he had been and he said the grocery store, I knew something was up.

"Where were you _really_, Zan? I'm a mind-reading alien named Aviria, remember?" I teased. Zan knew that I hated my alien name, that I wanted nothing more than to live the rest of my days on earth with him.

"Sarah or Aviria, I don't care what your name is!" Zan told me, as he got down on one knee. "I am so in love with you." He continued, and I knew what was coming. I had seen it in a vision before. "Will you please be my wife?"

I smiled through my happy tears—the first happy tears I had shed since arriving on earth years before—and kneeled down in front of him. I kissed Zan then, and the moment seemed perfect. "Yes." I told him. "Just in case you couldn't tell." I added, sarcastically.

"You just made me the happiest man alive!" He said, smiling at me. He looked so much like his father then that I feared for a moment I was staring at my king. But then I saw Zan shine through.

"But you're not a man, Zan. You're so much more!" I told him. I wanted him to understand more than ever how important and majestic he was. He had been the only son of a king, and he was going to inherit his father's thrown someday. And yet, Zan knew none of that.

"I'm beginning to understand that, Sarah." He said, looking into my eyes. "Because no man could be as happy as I am now." He pulled a little box out of his pocket. "I wasn't at the grocery store, Sarah." He said, smiling as he slipped a beautiful ring onto my finger. "I was getting this for you." Zan looked at the ring, then looked up at me, and he glowed with happiness.

"How do you do it, Zan?" I asked, and he gave me a questioningly look. "How do you make me feel like everything's going to end okay. That we'll really be together forever?"

He kissed me, the leaned his forehead against mine and whispered, "Magic."

"Ding! Zan scores ten points on the cheesy lines scale!" Both Zan and I snapped our heads to look at the woman who had spoken. I felt a wave of anger rush over me when I recognized her. "Hi honey." She said, smiling at Zan. "I'm home."

The new stranger was a beauty with long, brown hair and vividly green eyes. She wore a short black dress and black heals. The simple look complimented her features.

"Who are you?" Zan asked, standing up quickly with Sarah's hand in his.

"Why don't you ask your fiancée there?" The woman said, glaring at Sarah. "She knows all about me."

"Sarah, what's going on?" Zan asked, noticing that Sarah's eyes were wide with fear.

"She's your…" Sarah was struggling to speak, tears coming to her eyes, "She's the one you were promised to, the one you're supposed to marry."

"What?" Zan looked at the stranger, then back at Sarah. "You're joking, right?" Sarah looked up at him doubtfully, "You know you're the only girl for me!" He reminded her.

"Technically she's not." The newcomer said, breaking in. "Oh, and I'm Liniaz by the way. Most people just call me Lin though." She told him. "So, how soon can you pack up and be ready to leave earth, Zan? I wouldn't want to miss our own wedding after all."

"Look, Liniaz…"

"Lin." She corrected him.

"Lin." Zan said with hatred. "I'm not going to marry you. I am in love with Sarah…"

"Aviria."

"Will you stop doing that!" Zan snapped, and Lin held her hands in the air in mocking remorse.

"Sorry, sorry. You kings are all the same." She mumbled. "You were saying?"

Zan continued, "I'm going to marry Sarah, because I love her more than even she can know."

"See here's the problem with that little scenario, Zan." Lin said, walking towards them. "She's not of royal decent." Lin pointed to Sarah. "I am." She said, pointing to herself in pride. "That means that you must marry me if you wish to take the thrown."

"That's it?" Zan asked, scoffing. "Then I decline the thrown. It's a world I've never known anyway." He said, glaring at Lin. "And Liz Parker wasn't of royal decent, so how was my father able to marry her?" He asked.

"Long story." Lin said. "Involved a lot of paperwork and hours of convincing the other leaders, and then the kingdom had to take a vote, blah, blah, blah." She waved her hand around absentmindedly while she spoke.

"The people love Liz." Sarah said, and Link gave her an annoyed look.

"Because she's _human_." Lin said. "You're not, _Aviria_." She used Sarah's alien name with amusement, knowing that it bothered Sarah to hear it.

"Why don't you just leave us alone?" Zan suggested. "You can go home and tell my father that I've declined the thrown and that I'm staying her with Sarah."

"Your father is dying, Zan." Lin said, her tone changing from spiteful to sad. Sarah's mouth dropped open in surprise, but Zan did not know how to react. "He wants you to return to rule our world, because he knows that you are capable of it."

"What about Michael?" Sarah asked. "He's his second in command."

"Michael was killed three earth months ago while on a scouting trip on earth. We are still investigating to find his killer." Lin said. She looked at Zan. "Zan, your father is back on earth right now, searching for Michael's killer."

"He's here?" Zan could hardly believe it.

"Yes." Lin said. "And he grows ever weaker by the hour. You should visit him before he dies." Her look was so solemn that Zan half expected her to break down right there and cry.

"Well, where's he at?" Zan asked her.

"Follow me." Lin said, leaving Zan's apartment.

4


	2. Chapter 2

Day Of Reckoning

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Roswell or anything affiliated to it. This is a fan fiction story meant only for the enjoyment of myself and other Roswell fans.

**Title**: Day Of Reckoning

**Genre**: Science Fiction, Romance, Fantasy

**Setting**: This story is set directly after my Roswell fan fiction titled "Heritage" (also posted on this site).

**Rating: **PG,

**Written By: **Jennifer S. a.k.a. _AssissinElektra_

**Author's Note: **Sorry this chapter is so short. I promise the next one will be longer!

**Chapter 2**

"_Nothing ever happens as you think it should."_

Lin led us to a small, seemingly abandoned building on the outskirts of Roswell. Sarah and I had decided to move to Roswell after discussing it with my adopted parents, and we had looked over every corner of the town, but I had never seen this small building before.

"He is very weak." Lin warned as she reached for the door.

"What is…" Sarah stopped herself as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "What's he dying of?"

"We're not sure exactly." Lin admitted. "But, it's painful."

"Does he know that I'm here?" I asked.

"Yes, Zan." Lin said. "You were the first person he asked for." She turned the door handle and opened it, waiting for us to walk in. Slowly, unsure if I was ready to see my father now that the moment had finally come, I took a step in. Once all of us were inside, I took a moment to look around the small room. It seemed like only half of the building, so when Lin led the way to another door, I was not surprised to find another room there.

In that second room there was a bed, and on that bed laid my father. He was not at all like I had expected. He looked so human, and I recognized some of my own features as being his. His dark hair, which was beginning to gray, was long and to his shoulders. His skin was tan, and he had considerable muscle, which made me wonder what he was like when he was not weak. His eyes were closed as he slept, but there was a pained expression on his face that told us his sleep was not peaceful.

"Let's give them a minute or two." Lin said, and Sarah squeezed my hand gently before leaving the room after her.

I sat in a chair that had been placed beside the bed and found it to be warm from someone sitting in it recently. For a few moments I just looked at my father, not knowing what to say, but then the words began to flood out of my mouth.

"I asked a beautiful girl to marry me today." I said, unsure of why I was telling him this, but unable to stop myself. "She said yes." I added. "Which is good, because I am deeply in love with her."

"Who is she?" I jumped as my father spoke, opening his eyes slightly to look at me. Those dark eyes studied my face for a moment, and then he smiled, recognizing me. "My son." He said quietly, as tiny tears formed in his eyes. "I never thought I'd get to see you again." He smiled, then stopped as it hurt too much.

"You're my father…you're Max?" I asked, and he managed to nod. "I…I found the book you left for me."

"I knew you would." He told me, smiling again, this time ignoring the pain.

"Thank you." I told him. "For leaving it, I mean. My whole life I've always wondered about you, and then one day I started getting visions of memories that were not mine, and I was scared at first." I explained. "But, I soon realized that those memories were of my father, and…my mother." My father turned his eyes to me and they became sad for a moment. "You loved her too, didn't you?" He did not answer, just looked away.

"Sarah." He turned to look at me with a questioning face. "That's the name of the girl who agreed to marry me." I expected him to smile and be happy for me, but his face became troubled rather than proud or pleased. "What?"

"You're promised to Lin." He told me, and I felt my whole world shatter.

"Why didn't I get a say in this promise?" I asked, a bit angry. "I mean, you left me here on earth to live as a human, and suddenly years later you want me to become a king of a planet I'd never even heard of a few weeks ago!"

"Zan, when Isabelle, Michael, and I first arrived at Roswell, we had no idea who we were other than that we had come from space pods. We grew up, confused for many years with only a limited knowledge that managed to keep us alive. After a while, your mother arrived and told us of our destinies and past lives. She explained so much, and I thought that life would get better because I finally knew the answers. But, it only made life more complicated. Things became harder, because knowledge can sometimes be a burden. You have the capability to lead our people, Zan. I can see it in your eyes that you're a good leader, that you've already made hard choices."

"But I am so in love with Sarah." I said, my voice pleading. "Please don't make me give up my reason for living."

My father closed his eyes, then opened them again, and I swear I as an image of Liz dance across them as he turned to look at me again. "Zan, I know it's hard…"

"No!" I snapped, getting up out of the chair. "I won't hear it! I thought that seeing you would…I don't know, help me somehow, but all you've done is tried to take the one person I love away from me!" I turned to leave.

"Max…" I almost ran into a woman as she walked into the room.

"Sorry." I said, backing away. Looking at her face I realized that the woman I had run into was Liz Parker. She had cut her hair a bit shorter and looked much older than I remembered, but she still had the same smile and eyes. "You're Liz." I said, quietly, and she smiled.

"Yeah." She said, extending a hand. "And you are?"

"Zan." I answered, and her jaw dropped. She looked me up and down, then reached a hand out to touch my cheek.

"You're so grown up." She said, almost talking to herself. "And you look so much like…" She looked past me at my father. "How old are you?"

"I'm 18 in seven months." I told her, and she looked me up and down again.

"Well, look at the man you've grown up to be!" She smiled. "You're going to be a great king." She added. Sarah walked into the room then, with Lin closely behind her. I walked over and took Sarah's hand into mine.

"This is my fiancé, Sarah." I said, and Liz's first reaction was to smile. But her smile faded as she looked back at my father.

"Zan, you can't…"

"Sorry to interrupt your little tea party and all," Lin said, glancing nervously out the door as she spoke, "but we've got company, and I don't think they want any tea."

4


	3. Chapter 3

Day Of Reckoning

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Roswell or anything affiliated to it. This is a fan fiction story meant only for the enjoyment of myself and other Roswell fans.

**Title**: Day Of Reckoning

**Genre**: Science Fiction, Romance, Fantasy

**Setting**: This story is set directly after my Roswell fan fiction titled "Heritage" (also posted on this site).

**Rating: **PG

**Written By: **Jennifer S. a.k.a. _AssissinElektra_

**Author's Note: To clarify, this fic takes place almost two years after _Heritage_. Sorry for any confusion! **

**Chapter 3**

"_Please don't make me give up my reason for living."_

"Who is it?" Max asked, trying to sit up. But, Liz stopped him, gently helping him lay back down again before he could even get up.

"You need your rest." She told him.

"Their government." Lin said in answer, looking back at Max.

Max's eyes became wide. He had dealt with the government before—years before—and he still remembered the pain and agony they had put him through. He did not want to go back into their hands, to be locked away in another white room.

"How did they find us sop quickly?" Liz asked, standing up. She walked over to Lin's side and looked over her shoulder at the car that was rapidly approaching, dust flying from its wheels.

"Zan, you and Sarah help Lin get Max…your father out of here." Liz said, stepping into leader mode. Eighteen years of being Max's queen had not left her unlearned in leadership.

"I'm not leaving you here." Zan said. He looked around, then thought for a moment. "They're here for you, Lin, and my father, right?" Liz nodded. "Then you guys get out of here. They're not looking for me. They don't even suspect me yet."

"We aren't leaving…" Max was interrupted by Liz.

"Are you sure you can handle them, Zan?" Liz asked.

"I've been practicing." He said, forming a force field with his hand. Liz smiled at him, surprised again at how much Zan reminded her of his father. "Sarah, go with them please." He said, as Lin and Liz started to help Max up out of bed.

"Zan, I'm not leaving you here alone." Sarah told him firmly.

"Please just go." Zan said. "I'll be able to better protect myself if something does go wrong if you're not in danger too." He glanced nervously as the car drew ever closer. It was a hundred feet away. "Go!" He shouted at Sarah, hating the way she flinched.

Liz held the small back door open long after Lin and Max had passed through. She was waiting for Sarah, but Liz was nervous and not willing to wait too long. "Come with us now, Sarah." Liz said, her voice commanding. Sarah glanced at Liz.

"Yes, my queen." Sarah said quietly. She leaned and kissed Zan, then hurried toward the door.

"Be careful, Zan." Liz said, before closing the door behind her. The police car pulled up just as the door slammed shut.

"Hi, officers." Zan said, walking out to greet them. "How are you today?"

"Fine." The driver said, walking over toward Zan as his partner stepped out of the car. "You want to tell me what you're doing clear out in the middle of nowhere?"

"Just needed to get away from town for a while." Zan said, smiling. "Don't you ever just want to leave town for a while? You know, get back to nature's basics."

"Sure." The other officer said. "What's your name?"

"I'm Zan." He said, shaking the officer's hand.

"Why did you want to get away from town so badly, Zan?" The first officer asked, his glance showing he was suspicious.

"I just get so sick of the alien nonsense." Zan said, hoping they would buy his lame excuse. "All the tourist who come looking for space pods." The second officer smiled, but the first continued his cold stare toward Zan.

"Right." He said, his stare holding fast. He looked Zan up and down. "You haven't seen anyone else out here, have you?" Zan shook his head. "Is there anyone else in this building?" He asked Zan.

"No sir." Zan moved aside for the officer to step inside. Once inside, he watched as the officer looked around. Zan was about to ask him if there was a problem, when he felt a sharp pain run down his spine. He jumped around in time to see the second officer—the one who had _seemed_ friendly—pulling a medical needle away from him.

"What did you do to me?" Zan asked, falling to his knees as his legs began to grow numb. The officer took his wallet out and flashed an I.D. that showed he was working in the FBI.

"It won't kill you." He replied to Zan. "You'll just sleep for a while." That was the last thing Zan heard before everything went black and silent.

"I know what you're feeling." Lin told Sarah, and Sarah glared at her with such a viciousness that Lin wondered if she was in danger.

"How could _you_ possible understand what _I'm_ feeling?" Sarah demanded coldly. "You're taking the man I love away from me!"

"We were predestined to be together, Sarah." Kin told her. "You knew that when you were sent to earth. It's your own fault you fell in love with him. You knew the consequences."

"I didn't _mean_ to fall in love with him!" Sarah shouted in frustration. "I tried not to, but he always looked at me like…like I was the most beautiful girl in the world!" Liz glanced over at Sarah, remembering the way Max had used to look at her before he had healed her.

"How much further?" Max asked quietly. He had his head laid on Liz's lap in the backseat, while Sarah drove her car and Lin sat in the passenger's side.

"We're almost there." Sarah said, glancing at Max in her rear-view mirror. She did not like ho pale he was becoming—even more than before.

"I'm not trying to take Zan away from you." Lin said, and Liz snapped back without even meaning to.

"Shut up, Tess!" Sarah and Lin glanced at Liz, who looked embarrassed at Max. Luckily, he was asleep. "She…she said something like that to me once." Liz explained.

"I'm sorry." Lin said.

"Don't be." Was Liz's reply. "It was years ago."

"Okay." Sarah said, turning into a parking lot. "We're apartment 106." She told them.

Zan opened his eyes and looked around. He saw nothing but black, and then suddenly there was a dark-haired teenager—who looked to be his same age—standing in front of Zan. The teenager wore nothing but white, from his suit to his the buttons on his jacket.

"Where am I?" The boy's eyes turned to look at Zan at his question.

"That's hard to say." He answered. "Right now, you're under heavy sedatives. But, although those who gave them to you think your mind is not busy, it is. It's time for you to learn more about who you are, Zan."

"Who are _you_?" Zan asked.

"I'm Alex." He told me, and suddenly I realized that I did recognize him from some of my memories. "Oh, but don't worry." He added quickly, smiling. "I'm not real. You'll have to ask your aunt about me after this is all said and done." He said, laughing to himself quietly. "She's got some stories to tell you about me."

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"I'm your guide." Alex answered. "Don't ask me why I look like _this_." He motioned to himself. "The viewer is the one who projects my appearance. For some reason you wanted to see me as Alex."

"My mother killed you." I said, that realization just hitting me.

"No." Alex corrected me. "Your mother killed _Alex_. I'm not Alex, this is merely a mask to keep you calm and comfortable."

"Why Alex though?" I asked. "I never even knew him."

"I was very close to your aunt." Alex answered. "Well, actually _Alex_ was, but you get the point." He sighed. "Okay, first off I need to let you know something. Your parents were both alien/human hybrids, which means that you have human blood in you."

"I already knew that." I said.

"Okay, but did you know that you inherited your mother's mind-warping powers?" He asked me. I shook my head, and Alex smiled, proud that he had told me something I did not already know. "Well, you do." He told me. "And you're going to need to use it soon."

"Can you tell me why I have to marry Lin?" I asked, desperate for a way out.

"She is of noble lineage." Alex said simply. "Sarah is not."

"But I don't love Lin." I told him, and I felt in such despair that I worried I would start to cry in front of Alex. "All I want is Sarah." I added, quietly.

"Time will tell if you get her." Alex told me. "Things change so quickly." He continued. "You may fall in love with Lin tomorrow and never think of Sarah again. You don't know what the future holds for you."

"I would never stop loving Sarah!" I shouted. "She's like the air I need to breathe!"

"Wow, calm down dude." Alex said, holding his hands up in surrender. "I'm not here to interfere, only to enlighten."

"Well, so far you've just made me angry." I told him. I just wanted to reach out and strangle him, but for some reason, probably because he looked like Alex, I could not bear to strike out.

"Lin traveled through time and space to find you, you know." Alex told me.

"My love for Sarah surpasses time and space." I told him sharply.

"Okay, I get it." Alex said. "You're not even going to give Lin a chance. Fine." I felt relieved when he said that. "But before you just walk away from her, consider this: your father is dying. He is the king of your world, Zan, and once he is dead Liz is going to stay on earth. She has wanted to come home for quite some time now, but she has stayed with Max because she loves him." He told me. "Once they are gone, the kingdom will fall into whoever can catch it's arms. The whole planet could fall into destruction, unless you rise and be king."

"Don't they have any other children?" I asked. "I mean, in all these years that have to have had a child together."

"They have a daughter, Zan. But she is currently working with Antar's enemies." Alex explained. "She betrayed them a few weeks ago, and is Michael's suspected killer."

"I don't want to be king of a world I've never even seen before." I told him. "Especially if I can't be with Sarah."

Pacing around the room, he felt confident of what he had accomplished. Sitting before him was his victim, a man who had only a short while ago had captured him. Xandre knew the dangers that holding the man who sat in front of him brought, but after what Michael had done to him, he had no fear left.

"They must think you're dead." Xandre told Michael. "That's the only reason they would stop looking for you."

Michael tried to break the ropes that held him once more, but the force just made his wrists bleed even more than before, and the pain forced him to relax his muscles. He felt the warm blood ooze down his arms and glared at Xandre.

"They'll find me." Michael said. "Maria will find me."

"Maria isn't even here!" Xandre said, laughing. "She hasn't missed you at all."

"What makes you think you can get away with holding me hostage like this?" Michael asked, coldly. He struggled against the ropes again, but they only bit deeper into his raw wrists, and he flinched at the pain.

"Well, first off, Michael, you got away with doing it to me." Xandre said, his tone malicious and violent. He held a hatred for Michael that was so pure even the most talented psychiatrist could not help him get over it.

"Those ropes hurt. Don't they?" Xandre asked, gently touching the bandages on his own wrists. "I've been there, Michael, thanks to you. I know exactly what you're feeling."

"You won't get away with this!" Michael screamed.

"Maybe not." Xandre said. "But at least you'll suffer _now_."

"This isn't you, Xandre." Michael told him, his tone softening. "You're not the kind of person who does this sort of thing."

"But you are?" Xandre snapped.

"Yes." Xandre was surprised by Michael's answer. "Yes, I am. Being the King's second-in-command means doing things sometimes that aren't ethical or honest. I've been by Max's side since before your parents were even born. So, listen to me when I say, once I do get free from you, I'm going to deal you some serious pain."

"Idol threats." Xandre remarked, casually. "Time will tell."

"Why don't you get some sleep." Lin suggested, walking into the room. "You've been with him for days without resting."

"I'm fine." Liz assured her.

"Is that why your eyes are red?" Lin asked, looking concerned.

Liz smiled and brushed some hair away that had fallen in front of her face. "I am tired." She admitted. "Exhausted, actually." She stood up and left Lin in the room with Max.

"It's Zan's bed." Sarah said, once Liz was out in the living room. "In case you were wondering." Sarah added, taking a sip of her glass of water.

"So, how have you been?" Sarah did not answer as she gazed sadly at the floor. "You're deeply in love with him, aren't you?" Liz asked, and Sarah's face became even sadder.

Sarah's eyes looked up at Liz, full of tears, and she spoke softly, "From the moment I first saw him."

"Aviria," Sarah was surprised to hear her alien name, "I don't have to remind you that you knew what you were getting into when you hesitated to kill Emily."

"Then don't." Sarah snapped.

"I just want to let you know that, when Max and I first met, things weren't always perfect. I almost left him completely because he was in a sense Tess's husband. I felt like there was no place for me anymore. But, through time and patients, our relationship lasted and grew stronger. I knew he was my soul mate from the moment he healed me. So you see, it is possible, it just isn't easy."

Sarah's tears stopped and she said, "Are you telling me that I can be with Zan?"

"I'm not telling you that at all." Liz said. "I'm just trying to point out that Zan may _not_ be your soul mate after all."

"I love him, Liz!" Sarah told her. "The things I would do for that boy…" She sighed, "I can't even comprehend what I feel for him, it's that strong."

"Then let him go." Liz said gently. "He is about to become a king! He will need a royal queen to help him. If you truly love Zan, then let him go."

"I don't know if I can do that." Sarah replied, as the tears began to fall again.

7


	4. Chapter 4

Day Of Reckoning

**Disclaimer:**

I do not own Roswell or anything affiliated to it. This is a fan fiction story meant only for the enjoyment of myself and other Roswell fans.

**Title**: Day Of Reckoning

**Genre**: Science Fiction, Romance, Fantasy

**Setting**: This story is set directly after my Roswell fan fiction titled "Heritage" (also posted on this site).

**Rating: **PG

**Written By: **Jennifer S. a.k.a. _AssissinElektra_

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to write another chapter! I've known what was going to happen in it for a while, but I have to be in a certain mood to do great writing and I didn't want to force it. Hope you enjoy, and reviews and suggestions are appreciated greatly!

**Chapter 4**

"_It's your own fault you fell in love with him. You knew the consequences."_

Sarah tried to stop crying, but what Liz had said troubled her. Maybe it was because Liz had said it, or maybe it was because she was actually starting to _believe_ it. "I can't believe you, Liz." Sarah said, her voice full of disappointment.

"Then don't." Liz said sharply, but the expression on her face did not match the angry tone she was taking with Sarah. Sarah looked at her in confusion, then noticed that Liz was holding a piece of paper with something written on it. Looking carefully, Sarah saw what was written: "Lin is listening."

"Maybe you're right." Sarah said, playing along. But she gave Liz another questioning look, and with the touch of her finger Liz switched the ink around to say something else.

"She was told to kill you if you didn't give Zan up." Sarah read silently.

"But who would do this to me anyway?" Sarah asked, her question having a double meaning. "I've never messed with anyone who didn't deserve it."

Liz changed the ink around again and it said, "Lin's father gave the order. He's acting as Max's second-in-command until Zan takes the throne."

"Anyway, I guess you should get some sleep." Sarah said aloud, watching the ink switch around again.

"We'll talk later." Liz had it saying, and Sarah nodded as she left the room.

"You know I've done some research about this pathetic planet, Michael." Xandre told him. "Did you know that the Nazis used to test the human body to see how much pain it could take before it died?" Michael said nothing as he glared at Xandre. "Seconds before they died the victims would bleed a few drops of blood from their pours, and that was how the Nazis knew that their body could take no more." He explained. "Now, I know you're not completely human, but that hybrid aspect of your second existence has had to of given you weaknesses that our people just haven't discovered yet."

"What are you trying to prove, Xandre?" Michael asked, scoffing at him. "Are you trying to show how tough you are by roughing me up a little? You're accomplishing nothing."

"I am accomplishing your pain!" Xandre said, quickly shoving a stick up one of Michael's finger nails. He screamed out in pain. "And that is the sweetest revenge I could ever have for what you did to me."

Michael gasped and tried to ignore the intense pain. He felt his finger throbbing as blood rushed to the wound. "I had to make sure your sister did what she was sent to do, Xandre. It was nothing personal against you."

"No, I suppose capturing me and torturing me wasn't personal at all." Xandre said sarcastically. "How silly of me. Why don't I just untie you and let you go?"

"I didn't know that Linken was going behind my back!" Michael screamed in frustration. "Whatever he did to you is not on me at all!"

"You left Liniaz's brutal father alone with me for two hours, Michael, and you expected me to walk away giggling? He is a monster!"

"I know, and for that I'm sorry!" Michael screamed. "But I never would have harmed you, Xandre. You were just there to make sure that Aviria completed her task."

"That was not fair." Xandre said coldly.

"Lots of things aren't." Michael said. "This universe is overflowing with unfairness."

"He was just a kid." I commented, as I watched my father negotiate at a summit meeting in New York City years ago. Alex, or whatever had taken his form, was showing me memories, things that had happened in the past that would help me with the future.

"We all were." Alex told me. "Had to grow up fast, ya know?" He looked at me and smiled. "Guess you would know."

"Why would anyone expect a teenager to rule an entire planet?" I asked.

"Because, Zan, it was in his blood, just as it is in yours." Alex explained. "Besides, it's the whole teenage-super hero thing."

I looked back over at my father and found that he was in a different setting now. He was in some kind of mall, and Liz was there with him. When they spoke their voices echoed, like they were stuck in a dream. They looked a few years older then they had in the last memory.

"This was right before they left earth." Alex explained.

_"I…I would never see earth again, would I?" _Liz asked, and Max shook his head cautiously, as if he was afraid she would get up and run away. Liz thought for a moment, then said, "_If this is what you really want to do, Max, I'll go with you. Living a life without you isn't worth it."_

Max's face lit up and he hugged Liz. _"You're going to be Antar's most beautiful queen." _He told her, tears of happiness coming to his eyes.

The memory switched to another one, and I was seeing Max and Liz lying in a bed. Liz was trying to comfort Max by holding him close, but something was troubling him.

"_I just want to know that he's okay." _Max told her, his far-off look showing that his mind was elsewhere. _"I can't bear the thought of never seeing my son again." _I felt a lump in my throat as I realized that he was talking about me, that in this memory he was missing me.

_"He's living a normal life, Max. He deserves it." _Liz said, her voice sounding soothing but still not calming Max.

_"What if someone finds him and pokes and prods and throws him in a white room…"_ Max's voice trailed off as he thought of the horrible things he was suggesting.

_"He's strong, just like his father. He'd get away." _Liz assured him.

"I didn't even think about him missing me." I said, and Alex looked at me.

"He missed you every day, kid-o." He told me. "And when he learned that he was dying he had to see you first."

"Is there anything tha can save him?" I asked, surprised at how choked up I was getting at the thought of my father—whom I had only just met—dying.

"Look, Zan," Alex said, looking me straight in the eyes, "He thought you were completely human, but you aren't. Seeing you like this is troubling to him in his last days. You need to show Max that you're capable of taking care of yourself without him. Only then can he die peacefully."

"What are you saying?" I asked.

"I'm saying that you need to wake up and kick some F.B.I. butt." Alex told me.

"F.B.I.?" I asked.

"Who did you think had captured you?" Alex asked, as if I were stupid for having not known.

"I worry about her." I looked up at Lin, wondering what she was talking about. "Liz has been so worried about Max lately that she hasn't bothered to take care of her own need for rest." She explained, and I nodded.

"She's a great queen." I said. "But she was a wife first."

"Sarah, when I marry Zan I don't want there to be any hard feelings between us." Lin said, and I wanted to strangle her. But instead, I calmed myself.

"Whatever." I said, trying my best to not be rude. "You're only ruining my reason for living after all." I commented. "But won't it bother you to wake up every morning to a man who doesn't, and never will, love you?" Lin raised an eyebrow, getting my hint of irritation.

"Look, I was trying to be the bigger person here and forgive you for your jealousy and all, but you're making it really difficult." She told me.

"Good." I said, smiling at her glare. "Everything in your life has just been handed to you, so having a difficulty will do your soul some good. I'll see what else I can come up with to help you out in that area." I stormed off, not wanting to lash out at Lin physically, because I knew that if we fought one of us would not survive.

Once in the kitchen I braced myself against the counter, suddenly too weak to hold my own weight. I grabbed a chair and sat down quickly as the tears began to fall from my eyes. I glanced at the engagement ring that Zan had given me through blurry vision and wondered if I would be giving it back soon.

4


End file.
